Windsor Street Angels receive £1000 funding boost from Louis Baylis Trust

A £1,000 donation from the Louis Baylis Trust has helped the Windsor Street Angels restock its night-time essential kits for the coming year.

Every weekend volunteers patrol Windsor town centre to check on the safety of revellers and rough sleepers who are on the streets late at night.

Each volunteer carries a kit including flip-flops for sore feet, coffee, soup and snacks for the homeless, first aid equipment and lollipops for everyone they engage with.

Funding from the Advertiser’s owner will help pay for the vital supplies to be topped up for the next 12 months.

Alice Hunt, a team leader at Windsor Street Angels, said: “This kit is essential to enable us to do what we do and to continue helping as many as 200 people on a busy night.”

The organisation celebrated its eight-year anniversary this month and now has a team of about 50 volunteers who keep an eye out for vulnerable people during nights out.

As well as patrolling the streets, Street Angels has also established a safety hub at Windsor Baptist Church, Victoria Street, where anyone is welcome to drop in for warmth, shelter or conversation.

All helpers are trained in conflict management, first aid, drug awareness and vulnerability and homelessness.

Their support during a night shift can range from protecting clubbers from predatory behaviour to charging people’s phones to help them get home.

Alice added: “A seemingly simple task like charging a phone is just as critical to what we do as nowadays many people don’t carry cash and order Ubers.

“Being without charge means they are far more likely to walk home alone and be at risk.”

Windsor Street Angels is co-ordinated by Windsor’s police community support officer David Bullock and is made up entirely of volunteers.

There is no faith requirement to join the group.

Anyone interested in volunteering should visit www.streetangelswindsor. org/volunteer for details.